Head of engineering

Reporting Line
Chief Technology Officer (CTO)
Key Stakeholders
VP Engineering
Location:
India (Remote)
Job Type
Full-time Contractor
About Elife
Elife is the unified API infrastructure behind global mobility and instant delivery across 182 countries. We power Super Apps, Fin Techs, neobanks, and ride-hailing ecosystems worldwide — we don't compete with them, we enable them.
Our partners integrate once and serve their users globally. We build and operate the infrastructure. They own the brand and the customer relationship.
Execution Focus & Key Responsibilities
Architect the Brain (LLM Orchestration Infrastructure)
Deeply collaborate with the VP Engineering to establish rigorous API contracts and tool-calling/function-calling mechanisms. Open up core backend capabilities to AI systems, enabling agents not only to understand natural language but to natively interact with real-time global GPS data, dynamically adjust pricing, and directly issue dispatch commands in the physical world.
Embed & Synergise with Product and Engineering
Lead a highly specialised AI deployment squad, deeply integrating into existing agile development workflows. Bridge the gap between cutting-edge AI algorithms and traditional backend systems (Java/Go), ensuring smooth AI capability deployment without compromising core system stability.
End-to-End Tokenisation of Business Workflows
Once the foundational AI infrastructure is in place, provide front-line operations teams (customer service, supplier integrations, etc.) with low-code agent-building frameworks. Enable them to build automated pipelines safely and controllably, replacing costly manual operations with highly efficient token-based compute.
Elevate AI Engineering Culture
As a core member of the CTO's think tank, lead an internal transformation of engineering culture. Drive adoption of AI-native development practices where LLMs generate entire modules and systems from specifications — moving the team beyond autocomplete tools toward full agent-driven code generation, achieving exponential productivity gains.
Who We're Looking For
A Business-Savvy Technical Veteran
Experienced in high-concurrency systems and microservices, with the emotional intelligence and technical depth to align cross-functional stakeholders in complex organisations. Familiarity with India's regulatory environment — including DPDP Act, RBI data localisation guidelines, and cross-border data transfer compliance — is a strong plus. A bridge-builder — not just a trench fighter.
An LLM Engineering Expert
Strong intuition for large language model behaviour, with hands-on experience in frameworks like Lang Chain, Llama Index, or similar orchestration systems, as well as RAG architectures. Critical requirement: deep expertise in tool-calling and function-calling, including production-grade safeguards to ensure AI agents operate reliably and safely — including agent-to-agent (A2 A) communication where agents trigger and coordinate actions across systems.
A Systems Thinker
Fundamentally believes that the intelligence ceiling of an agent is defined by the depth of APIs it can access. Deep understanding of high-concurrency scheduling, SLA reliability, sub-100ms decision cycles at scale, and cross-border data compliance challenges.
A Results-Driven Builder-Leader
Not a "Power Point architect." Comfortable diving into code, conducting code reviews, and leading execution. Has built and scaled an internal AI engineering team while remaining technically hands-on — not managing managers of managers removed from the code. Capable of defining top-level strategy while delivering real, measurable impact.
Compensation & Logistics
Location:
India remote
Schedule
6 days/week

Work arrangement
Yes